Bifacial Solar Panels are CHANGING the Game! Vertical Results Part 2
Vertical Solar Panels Part 2 – Can we boost vertical bifacial solar panel output with reflectors? Here are the summer and reflector test results.
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Related Videos:
Vertical Bifacial Solar Panel Performance Results Part 1: https://youtu.be/5AVO1IyfA9M
Bifacial VS standard solar panels back to back: https://youtu.be/1SXNjsSsmq0
Should you put BIFACIAL Solar Panels on the ROOF?: https://youtu.be/mzqjCsZKUYQ
Bifacial performance in winter: https://youtu.be/YZWeCUzu0yQ
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How to build a 3kW off Grid solar array from scraps Part-2: https://youtu.be/XSxp8pbk7q0
My original install video: https://youtu.be/_xA6qOwnYbM
My racking expansion video: https://youtu.be/WepLrQsqP3w
My array expansion with bifacial panels: https://youtu.be/IZjISqEWglU
My starter home battery backup: https://youtu.be/BzMAW8kW0CU
My 120/240V 25kWh home backup: https://youtu.be/ipLRNglTdhg
How to build a profitable solar system: https://youtu.be/YjKPHuc8T38
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Referenced Links:
Off-Grid Power Systems (Ohio area installer): https://offgridps.com/
Renogy Solar Panel Mount Brackets: https://renogy.sjv.io/Mm1ON3
SWI Fence Company – Vertical Pound in fence Posts: https://shopifence.com/
PV Magazine Solar Tariffs: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2024/06/10/solar-panel-import-tariffs-increase-us-module-prices-by-up-to-286/
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Sources for LiFePO4 batteries: https://projectswithdave.com/batteries/
Inverter Solutions: https://projectswithdave.com/inverters/
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Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
03:57 Summer Results
08:55 Reflector Results
14:09 Conclusions
source
Vertical Bifacial Solar Panel Performance Results Part 1: https://youtu.be/5AVO1IyfA9M
Find Bifacial Solar Panel sources and discounts on my website: https://projectswithdave.com/solar-panels/
Donate towards a future project – THANK YOU!! https://projectswithdave.com/donations/give/
US made Bifacial Solar Panels: https://signaturesolar.com/12-87kw-pallet-sirius-pv-415w-bifacial-solar-panel-assembled-in-texas-elnsm54m-hc-415-up-to-539w-with-bifacial-gain-full-pallet-31-solar-panels-12-87kw-total-pallet/?ref=SALE
even with the new tariffs the Chinese type N/P, 23.5% eff. bifacial panels are ~ 0.15 cents per watt delivered.
have you done any studies with Solar Tracking panels?
i've noticed that larger strings of solar panels out perform smaller strings. in my setup ive found this to be significant. ie, 3 string vs 5string, the 5 string gets well over 150% output.
to get more accurate results i think you should also try adding a few more bifacial panels for e/w.
A 4th grader can assemble a sun tracking panel system using two dollar store panels and two dollar store motors. Might want to look into it if you have the space for sun tracking panels.
I'd be curious the ROI (if any) with that same vertical bifacial setup but adding some cheap non-bifacial panels in a standard orientation to offset that mid-day dip. Maybe some used panels on the secondary market, while low overall power, could have a good enough price-per-watt to fill in that gap.
Thanks!
The guy across the road from me has like 20 big ones on individual posts that automatically move to follow the sun from dawn to sunset
Anyone get some massive output gains this spring during the solar flares? I got a peak of 1600w from a pair of 525w bi facials. Previous most i ever had was a 1200w or so peak.
I know there are a lot of scenarios to test and you are being inundated with ideas; I would love to see how close to the max per panel you can get with south facing bifacials with reflection similar to the mylar set up in this video. I would think you would have the reflection on the ground underneath the panels that are up off the ground say 5 feet or so? Further experimentation with the angle and shape of the reflection on the east west orientation appears to be indicated as well. Exciting stuff!
should try standard panels in a vertical mount
Thanks for the video. The panel prices are shocking high. Im in asia and pay 90$ for 600watt bifacial. Will probably by 60$ next months, they drop at very high speed.
I have one mounted on the roof of my motorhome on a bracket that allows me to tilt it up to 90°. I have been experimenting with different angles and the results are all over the place what have you guys found out
I feel like you should apply those reflectors to the south facing panels- maybe at the top reflecting light back onto the panels- it would stand to reason you'd get 10% more power on the more powerful array would be better no?
Really nice experiment, video and explinations. I've studied physics of solar cells and the output current of all solar cells is limited by the cell with the lowest current. That means even if you reflect twice the light on 70% of the panel the increase in output won't be huge. In your video we saw that especially the bottom half received a lot of reflection. Could you re-run the experiment with larger reflectors or the reflectors further away to have a more even reflection on the panel? It would be super interesting to hear about your results then. Or maybe try convex reflectors for evenness?
maybe angle them just for midday to fix the dip. i tried reflectors before and you need to increase their size. love the experiment and data. thx!!!
Let’s goooo!!!
Its funny how we come up with all these complicated tracking mounts etc. Then someone is like "Have you tried a mirror?"
would be interesting if you could test a fourth option. East/west orientation at 30 degrees.
But so far your test is very informative, thank you
I can’t help but just think a bifacial panel is just two panels. Yes you’re gaining bits at certain times but if you just doubled the panels in your normal setup you would be ahead by miles right?
Replace a standard 6ft wood backyard fence with these?
Good idea, or terrible? How much per foot of fence?
for the mylar film: use a wood panel and put a layer of wood glue. Then put the film using a paint roller or something similar. You should be able to increse the performance reducing the strange refrection effect you have now.
Vertical Bifacial is a very good idea for northern countries because also less dirt leafes snow :D
Subbed just based on this 1 video.
I'd like to see a comparison between different reflectors. Mylar is a pretty good reflector but I'd like to see if there is much of a difference in performance between a mirrored reflector like mylar, a white reflector, a blue one and a red one. I would imagine that there would be efficiency differences between them but with the blue and red ones I'm more interested in whether there's a difference due to the spectral response with possibly less IR hitting the panels.
So basically for a home it would be best to have some "normal" south facing panels and some east/west facing vertical bi-directional panels. Depending on the local power contracts you would generate a lot of energy in the middle pf the day with the "cheap panels". Additionally, you would harvest the early and late sun to charge up a battery and/or to just use the sun directly when you consume the most.
Depending on each scenario, maybe something like 60% cheap normal and 40% bifacial vertical panels would be a hood mix. The difficult thing is probably to find the best solution for each home. Most people can't or don't want to place panels vertically in their garden.
reflectors kill panels faster tho , also no standard e/w test ?
Is there a shape that does the opposite of a parabola? One that reflects any angle from different locations to the same point in space? Rather than all just one angle like a parabola?
Thanks for the video! This is great information. I live in the suburbs of LA, about 20 miles inland, so no marine layer and very, very sunny. I have 36 x 400 watt roof top panels with 18 facing east, 4 facing south and 14 facing west and I make 94 kwh per day at summer solstice, which is 2.6 kwh per panel per day. It’s amazing to think that those vertical panels are making as much as my 30 degree panels are when they only see sun for half of the day and you’re further north, which should mean less total sun.
+
Looks like you need bigger mirrors
Could you maybe evaluate sun-tracking panels? In which cases would the energy used by the motors and the maintenance overhead be put weighed by the extra production?
Would be extra interesting to see with vertical panels mounted like those whiteboards you can flip. They could be a lot more effective than the ones you can just tilt a couple degrees.
Excellent video with more interesting things to think about ! Great job ! 😉🙃😎
If only something highly reflective and biodegradable would fall out of the sky when more efficiency is needed. 🤔
Hi Dave, I don't see any discount code for signature solar in the video description.
Erm, we can see the shadow of the panels and even his hand as he waves it about.
No way the Sun is just on the horizon! If one thing is dodgy, what parts can you trust?
For vertical panels, try a big offset from soil. It Will avoid the shadows by moring.
It seems to me that if the solar panel is facing directly at the sun, the reflective medium for added solar should be at a both a 45 degree angle to both the sun and the solar panel.
What about a 30 degree and a vertical hybrid so that the verticals get shaded right before the dip and the 30 degrees takeover to get the best of both worlds?
Replace your flat reflectors. Get some roughly 4" diameter cardboard tubes, shipping tubes or Sono tubes. Glue your reflective mylar on the tubes. If you want to be really sexy just glue mylar on 1/4 the way around the tubes. Drop 12-20 tubes on each side of the solar array. If you want to be more sexy angle the tubes at about 20-25 degrees with the north side higher. To do this screw the tubes into a piece of plywood. What you're making is a fresnel mirror. It will illuminate most of the solar panel instead of just the bottom half at noon and put essentially none of it in shade in morning / evening. It's not quite as dirt cheap as your flat reflectors but had the promise of eliminating the noon dip entirely.
You're welcome.
I guess this means in higher latitudes then the benifuts i had heard about vertical panels amount to much. I was under the impression that the heat at the height of the day was reducing relative output if traditional mounting. So maybe that only matters closer to the equator where it will actually get hot enough to reduce their efficiency. Interesting results. Thank you
I’m considering adding vertical panels to supplement my solar trackers. Why? Because the trackers are $450. I feel I can increase my output in the morning before the clouds roll in (this happens a lot), and in the even before the sun goes down. I’m at 46 degrees N, so we get a lot of snow. I feel vertical Bifacials will do well in this environment. Have you considered adding vertical reflectors on the north side of your array? Wouldn’t do much in the summer, but our winter sun is only about 23 degrees above the horizon. Have you looked into Spectralon paint as a reflector? It reflects 98% of light, but it does so diffusely, so you might avoid hot spots
Install some hawk-poles and you get rid of the bird problem. Or at least significantly reduce it. (Imagine fishing pole with a bird-kite on it.)
thx
💡💡💡💡💡💡
I really want to see the result if, mirror place under any of 45 degree south/west bificial panel. ????????????
please do this experience.
I would angle the reflector to be fully optimized for noon time, since that's where you have the most to gain. Have the reflectors large enough to fully illuminate all area of the solar panel at 45 degrees reflector tilt angle.